Security's on top for marijuana dispensaries, grow centers

Sunday

Mar 2, 2014 at 12:30 AM

By Matt TotaDaily News Staff

A tall fence equipped with motion sensors will encircle the massive building in Franklin where New England Treatment Access Inc. plans to grow its supply of medical cannabis.Twenty-four hours a day, six security guards will patrol the Forge Parkway premises, also monitored by infrared cameras.Employees will pass through a secure checkpoint before beginning the workday. And all of the leftover plant waste they dispose of is to be mixed with rock, wool and paper, then ground to a pulp, making it useless should anyone gain access to the Dumpsters."It’s not just for keeping criminals out, but keeping the employees who work for us honest, as well," said the company's executive director Kevin Fisher of the site's layered security.In the summer, the company will officially open, along with some 20 other medical marijuana businesses approved by the state for provisional licenses last month.The companies got that far in part by showing they had security measures in place for just about everything. By all accounts, the businesses will only survive if they can protect their staff, customers and inventory - no easy task when you deal strictly in cash and sell a product that accounts for billions of dollars a year in illicit drug sales."There are ancillary crimes that result from a dispensary," Walpole Deputy Police Chief John Carmichael said in a recent phone interview. "It becomes a target and needs the best security in place to minimize any threats."Carmichael has seen the security plans of the 80 companies who last November submitted Phase 2 applications for medical marijuana dispensary licenses. Part of the panel that scored the applicants, he also advised the Department of Health while it wrote medical marijuana regulations.When grading the companies on security, Carmichael said, "We focused on three things: the structure of building, safety and security of the staff, and the delivery and transportation system."The state regulations include a long list of security measures that go beyond the specific alarm systems and surveillance cameras required, touching on everything from how to transport the pot to how to market it."The security mechanisms that applicants had in place varied," Carmichael said. "A lot of the applicants went above and beyond."Like New England Access, which will grow marijuana at 5 Forge Parkway in Franklin for dispensaries in Brookline and Northampton, many of the companies will spend thousands of dollars on security to prevent their businesses from being robbed or their product from ending up on the street.Carmichael wanted to see, among other measures, that the companies had a system for employees entering and leaving the building — key cards or biometric identification. Staff would also receive training for robbery scenarios and they would have limited access to the cultivation areas.The businesses have to transport the marijuana discreetly, in vehicles bearing no logos or monikers associated with the dispensary or growing facility. Drivers need to go straight to their destination — no side trips. And travel logs must be kept to verify delivery.On board, the pot must be locked up.In Carmichael’s view, some companies planned to take too extreme, aggressive measures, such as employing armed security guards or asking that the local police department tap into a live video feed of the business.Armed guards could create a "wild West" situation where the employees take the law into their own hands, he said. And live video surveillance would make it seem like the police departments were acting as private security.Carmichael said, however, that he did look for companies who would share information with police and local officials.In Milford, for instance, Police Chief Thomas O'Loughlin has been surprised by the forthrightness of a non-profit proposing a dispensary at 13 Commercial Way."The consultation I had with them is no different from my meeting with security professionals from other businesses, whether they be pharmacies or chain stores," O’Loughlin said in a recent phone interview. "From a policing and law enforcement perspective, I’m pleased with their openness."The company, Milford Medicinals, invited O’Loughlin to tour the site and critique its security plan."Medical marijuana is new to Massachusetts, and I think a lot of people are concerned with the security around it," said company spokesman Michael Dundas. "In all respects of our operation, we believe involvement with the community and open dialogue is crucial to the success of our operations."O’Loughlin doesn’t expect to have to give the dispensary any special attention — such as extra patrols — saying it faces the same threats as a pharmacy."There is the potential for serious issues to take place, but it’s how you mitigate them and address them that matters," he said. "The major chain pharmacies have security departments that are bigger than my police department anyway."